‘It Ends With Us’: Blake Lively Claims Two Other Actresses Are Prepared to Testify Against Justin Baldoni

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Blake Lively‘s legal dispute against her director and co-star from “It Ends With Us” took a fresh turn Tuesday night, as she submitted an updated complaint, claiming that two other actresses on the film set are ready to testify about their own discomforting encounters with Baldoni or his business partner Jamey Heath.

The suit intentionally avoids mentioning the actresses to shield them from potential cyberbullying and threats similar to those faced by Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, as well as others connected with the film. This movie, based on Colleen Hoover’s popular novel about a love story entangled in escalating domestic abuse, earned over $351 million worldwide, despite a relatively low production budget of $25 million. The film was produced by Wayfarer and co-financed by Sony Pictures, who were responsible for its marketing and distribution, making it a surprise hit.

Ms. Lively submitted an updated lawsuit today, which adds substantial new proof and support to her initial accusations. This new evidence includes confidential conversations among Ms. Lively, Sony and Wayfarer representatives, and several other witnesses, as stated by her attorneys Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb. The amended complaint also provides considerable contemporary evidence showing that Ms. Lively was not the only one who brought up on-set misconduct concerns well before the movie was edited; it also includes evidence detailing the threats, harassment, and intimidation faced by not just Ms. Lively, but numerous bystanders as a result of the defendants’ counterattack.

The submission might signal another significant development in the ongoing legal and public relations dispute over “It Ends with Us,” previously viewed as a conflict primarily between Lively and Baldoni. If additional women from the production verify they too experienced mistreatment by the director, this could shift the narrative from a bitter rivalry to one firmly rooted within the #MeToo movement.

Reports point towards the two individuals being Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer, neither of whom could be contacted for their input. Notably, Jenny Slate is a well-respected comedian and actress, recognized for her work in Parks and Recreation and Everything Everywhere All at Once. Conversely, Isabela Ferrer is relatively new to the scene, having played the younger version of Lively’s character during filming at just 23 years old.

As stated in the revised complaint, the events involving Lively and others were recorded as they unfolded, starting from May 2023. On May 24, 2023, Lively shared her concerns in a text message with a female friend who was acquainted with both Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath: “I had planned to invite you tomorrow. These people… It’s like HR is on overdrive today. Both of them… I wasn’t anticipating this turn. I mean, it’s been there but today I returned home and cried.” In the subsequent conversation, Lively referred to Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath as “creeps… Keep your hormones in check. This isn’t mine. I don’t want it. I don’t want your gaze or words or tongue or videos of your naked wife. Yeah. It’s shocking. Clowns,” according to the amended lawsuit.

In a few days, on May 26, 2023, Lively voiced her worries about unacceptable and improper actions by Baldoni and Heath to Sony employee Ange Gianetti. The lawsuit claims that Baldoni admitted the complaints in writing when he contacted one of the women.

During the next three days, yet another female co-star shared her discomfort about Baldoni’s inappropriate actions with both Gianetti and a movie producer.

The updated lawsuit now includes an additional claim of defamation due to the continuous false statements made about Ms. Lively by the defendants since she first filed her initial complaint. Moreover, Jed Wallace and his company have been named as defendants in this case, as confirmed by a representative of Lively. Notably, Wallace, who specializes in crisis management and has expertise in the Internet, was enlisted by Wayfarer and has collaborated closely with Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman and crisis manager Melissa Nathan.

In my perspective as an ardent follower, the revised lawsuit claims that Steve Sarowitz, co-founder of Wayfarer and a billionaire, reportedly made a chilling statement to a witness, saying, “I will safeguard the studio as Israel did against Hamas. There were 39,000 casualties.” He then continued, “There will be at least two fatalities when I’m done. Absolutely dead, not just inactive, but dead to me. So, think of it as dead to a multitude.” The lawsuit initially alleged that Sarowitz never refuted telling another party he was ready to invest $100 million to cause damage to Ms. Lively and her family’s lives.

Wayfarer reps did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ever since making accusations of misconduct during the filming of “It Ends With Us” last December, Lively and Baldoni have been exchanging lawsuits in a federal court in New York, both trying to gain public support in their high-profile dispute. So far, neither party has shown interest in negotiating a settlement, as stated in court documents.

In court on Tuesday, Lively added more details to the claims made in her initial lawsuit against Baldoni and his PR team. These new allegations accuse them of damaging her reputation as a form of retaliation for speaking out about sexual misconduct during the filming of their movie. This is Lively’s first opportunity to respond in court to Baldoni’s counter-lawsuit, which alleges defamation and extortion by Lively and her husband. In his lawsuit, Baldoni claims that Lively objected to his behavior on set, such as entering her trailer without permission while she was breastfeeding and unexpectedly improvising a kissing scene during filming, all in an attempt to seize creative control of the movie.

Lively’s revised lawsuit aims to present an alternate version, referencing emails from Sony executives that support her share of the movie profits.

As a passionate gamer diving deep into legal dramas, I’ve found myself captivated by the intricate network of connections between key figures in these courtroom battles. Not long after parting ways with Baldoni, WME – who also manages Lively and her renowned partner Reynolds – made it clear that the couple hadn’t exerted any influence on them to let go of him. In their own words.

The legal dispute has drawn in Baldoni’s film company, Wayfarer, along with Nathan and Jennifer Abel, who work as its public relations representatives.

Additionally, Reynolds and Leslie Sloane, the public relations representatives from Vision PR, are also involved in the lawsuit brought forth by Baldoni against Lively.

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2025-02-19 12:25